Spectre of a Dark Past
by Forgotten Muse
Summary: ARCHIVED


'Spectre of a Dark Past'  
  
A fanfic by T. 'RockChick' Evans  
  
ThaliaRockChick@aol.com  
  
http://stc2.topcities.com  
  
Authors note, long and boring. Yawwn.  
  
Well, this is a bit different from the usual. If you follow my STC2 fan comic, don't read this unless you want to know what happens in future issues- I will be doing a version of this basic idea as a comic, so this fanfic is a bit of a spoiler. Don't expect it to be exactly the same, though, as the plot will be altered a lot for the comic, as well as being from a different point of view. This story is also set in a slightly different universe to the usual Fleetway's Sonic the Comic one...  
  
The only major differences in this fanfic are that there are a small number of native humans on Mobius, and that Robotnik didn't become totally suicidal after the Sonic Adventure arc. These changes were necessary for Sonic Adventure 2 to take place. Imagine this story taking place some time- say about 3 months- after the end of SA2.  
  
Oh yeah, almost forgot. The copyright stuff. (groan.) Well, I've gotta say it, otherwise I might get sued or something. All the characters are copyright to their respective owners, which mostly means Sega, Egmont Fleetway, etc. And please don't steal my ideas, (not that they're particularly original) because I will… be annoyed.  
  
* * * *  
  
1: Spectre  
  
"I can't say my name or tell you where I am  
  
I wanna blow myself away, don't know if I can  
  
I wish that I could be in another time and place  
  
With someone else's soul and someone else's face"  
  
- Bon Jovi  
  
Evening. The heavens had opened, and torrential rain pelted down on Metropolis City. Every few seconds, a bright flash of lightning proceeded a rumble of thunder from directly above, and cars on the busy roads hurled clouds of spray into the air.  
  
Seemingly not disturbed by the extreme weather, a lone figure limped through the storm. As he walked the city streets he pulled a ragged, grey cloak with burnt edges around himself: partly to shield himself from the cruel wind and near-horizontal rain, partly to ward off the stares of the people around him.  
  
Pedestrians on the streets shied away in fear. They had every right to be afraid, as the mysterious figure had been haunting the city for some time.  
  
A ghost, people had called him, a spectre. He drifted aimlessly from place to place, appearing randomly here and there; and his appearance often heralded disaster.  
  
"….Spectre…" he murmured quietly to himself as he walked. It wasn't his original name- he sensed that yes, he had possessed one, once- but it was close. He knew that much, at least. Spectre caught his reflection in a puddle, pausing to gaze at it.  
  
Again, the face he saw was his own, yet something was not quite right. The strong, almost stern features were there beneath the vaguely troubled expression, but the hedgehog in the image had cloudy, grey eyes which looked blind- but were not. His fur, slicked back by the rain, was pure white- even on the lower half of his face where most hedgehogs had tan fur. The white hedgehog had unusually long quills. Like Sonic's, they were fused together- although they did not curve down, instead either projecting horizontally from the back of his head or bending slightly upwards.  
  
Overall, he looked young but strangely battered; The grey eyes were drawn to the frayed and tattered ears and the ragged mess which was all that remained of one of the spikes on his right side. Spectre thought that he had probably been badly injured at some point in the past. But that was all a mystery to him now- his thoughts were too clouded for anything to make much sense.  
  
Besides, he was much stronger than he had any right to be, considering the state he was in. He looked half dead, phantom-like.  
  
And then there was that strange energy that flowed through him. It was a force he could not understand, but he somehow knew it was the reason why he still lived.  
  
The problem was that Spectre had no control over it, and it manifested itself at unexpected times…  
  
Like now, for instance.  
  
The hedgehog yelled as he was engulfed by searing pain, power surging through him.  
  
The pedestrians stopped what they were doing and stared at the white form as he was held motionless, paralysed. Then a pulsing green aura formed around him. It became brighter for a few seconds… and suddenly exploded into an expanding circle of destruction--  
  
The green fire touched a shop window, the glass shattering like a gunshot. Out in the road, a car was knocked aside and ploughed into a building on the other side of the street. Everywhere, people were knocked off their feet or had their clothing set alight by the emerald inferno.  
  
Mercifully, the ring of fire quickly faded away.  
  
Moments later, one dazed Mobian got to his feet and looked around. His eyes searched the debris, then focused on the spot where the white hedgehog had been standing.  
  
Spectre had disappeared…  
  
* * * *  
  
Meanwhile, in the Emerald Hill Zone…  
  
"What?!" Sonic exclaimed, his green eyes glaring at the Kintobor Computer. "The Spectre turned up again?"  
  
"Yes," the computer replied, the hologramatic head nodding. "It appeared for five minutes, then caused a major pile-up in the Metropolis Zone."  
  
"Let me guess, then it did a disappearing act, right?"  
  
"Right," confirmed Kintobor. "Again."  
  
Sonic scowled. He didn't believe in ghosts, and had laughed at the first news reports that had appeared a few weeks ago. But now the danger was very real, and that meant a living- or robotic- being was responsible. The most frustrating thing was that by the time damage was done, the culprit was long gone. There had been many incidents like this in the past few days- every single time, there had been some sort of fire or explosion- and Spectre had disappeared before Sonic had the chance to act.  
  
"What the heck is goin' on?" Muttered the blue hedgehog.  
  
"Luckily, I may be able to explain."  
  
Sonic glanced hopefully at the computer.  
  
"Well?"  
  
"You're not going to like it," the digital Doc began. "I managed to get an energy reading this time…"  
  
"Aw, man. Tell me it wasn't Chaos energy."  
  
Dr. Kintobor nodded gravely.  
  
"I'm afraid so."  
  
Sonic groaned quietly to himself. Didn't it just have to be Chaos.  
  
"In other words, we've got another Super Sonic on our hands." Sighing, the hedgehog considered what to do now. Kintobor, however, shook his head.  
  
"Not so fast, Sonic-" he smiled. "That might not be the case."  
  
Sonic looked up hopefully. "Yeah?"  
  
"'Yeah.' Think about it- the Spectre appears somewhere, stays for a short time and then vanishes in a literal explosion of Chaos energy. Then he turns up somewhere else." He paused, allowing the words to sink in. "That sounds to me like an extreme form of Chaos Control."  
  
"Chaos Control…" Sonic mused. "But how is that possible? Only me, Shadow and the Biolizard could do that, and I'm the only one left." He shuddered slightly at the memory, because Shadow's death was still vivid in his mind…and then Sonic experienced a sudden, irrational hope. What if…?  
  
No way. He pushed the idea to the back of his thoughts, not allowing himself any false hope. He couldn't allow this to get to him the way Johnny's death had… his rational mind told him that he couldn't have done anything to save either. But his heart said otherwise.  
  
Sonic shook his head and snapped out of it.  
  
"D' you think Robotnik has anything to do with this?" he said finally. The Kintobor Computer couldn't shrug, as he had no shoulders. Instead, he inclined his head in a noncommittal gesture.  
  
"Maybe. He could be experimenting with Dr. Gerald's research."  
  
"Creating monsters…That's something I don't like to think about," Sonic replied. "But whoever or whatever Spectre is, we have to stop him."  
  
"Sonic," Kintobor cautioned, "Spectre's movements are quite random. He may not have control over his actions…"  
  
"Whatever, he's still dangerous." Sonic headed for the door. "He was last seen in the Metropolis, right? I'd better get over there, see if I can catch him in the act." The hedgehog paused thoughtfully. "Uh, you wouldn't have a description of him- would you?"  
  
Kintobor nodded.  
  
"One of the witnesses today said they saw a white hedgehog."  
  
Sonic left, lost in thought.  
  
"A white hedgehog…" he murmured quietly to himself.  
  
Sonic did not go directly to the Metropolis Zone. Instead, he stopped at his room and removed a small object from a shelf.  
  
Dusting it off, Sonic eyed the yellow and black metal bracelet with its red cloth cuff. It was the only trace that remained to prove that Shadow had ever existed, the only thing Sonic had been able to save. It seemed unfair, somehow- after the battle with the Biolizard, Sonic had been hailed as the hero. He loved glory, but he still knew the truth- it was Shadow who had helped him keep control when he had become Super Sonic, and it was Shadow who had used the last of his energy to help stop ARK crashing into Mobius. And it was Shadow who had sacrificed his life.  
  
Sonic carefully fastened the ring to his left wrist, over the white glove…  
  
* * * *  
  
2- All Over Again  
  
Spectre reappeared in a quiet alleyway. As usual, his emergence from nothingness was followed by a rolling cloud of green flame- but fortunately there was no-one around, so nothing except a few rubbish bins were harmed.  
  
He hated it when that happened. He didn't seem able to stay in one place for any length of time… the hedgehog had no idea where he was or how long he was going to remain there. He knew, in the same way he knew that his real name was not Spectre, that he should be able to keep control. He just couldn't remember how.  
  
It was still raining as the white hedgehog stepped out into the street. He looked around, seeing a fashionable suburb with an occasional, carefully pruned tree; here and there were benches, and some distance away a railway bridge stretched across the road. The street was deserted, as most people with any sense were staying out of the rain.  
  
Spectre still didn't know where he was.  
  
As he wandered aimlessly down the street, not heeding the raindrops pelting down on him, something caught his eye. A warm and inviting glow came from a shop a short distance away- a crazy looking place with psychedelic paint work. A café perhaps.  
  
And there was something else about it that grabbed the hedgehog's attention. A faint, almost undetectable trace of an energy like his own.  
  
Spectre pushed open the door and walked inside.  
  
Meanwhile…  
  
Ebony the cat was hanging around in the back room of her coffee shop, thinking about what a slow day it was for business- when her best friend Pyjamas came rushing in the door.  
  
"What's spooked you?" enquired the black cat, noticing her friend's troubled expression…or what could be seen of it beneath her mop of white hair.  
  
"I'm getting some really weird vibrations…" Pyjamas began.  
  
"Not another vision! What was it this time?" Ebony said sceptically. Pyjamas was undoubtedly psychic, but eight out of ten times her 'visions' were nothing more than false alarms.  
  
"Well, remember when Super Sonic turned up?"  
  
"Yeah…"  
  
"It was just like that."  
  
Ebony frowned, hoping Sonic hadn't done something drastic. Then she dismissed the thought.  
  
"Not that 'world destroying power' stuff again…" the feline shook her head. "It's probably nothing."  
  
"I was right that time, wasn't I?" Pyjamas replied indignantly. "Besides, you should see what just walked in the door."  
  
"Oh, alright then. I'll take a look," Ebony sighed.  
  
Spectre found a seat far away from the other few people in the room. At least it wasn't wet in here, he thought. Some water dripped from his hands onto the table.  
  
He removed the sodden glove from his left hand, placing it next to the lava lamp on the table to dry. Like his cloak, the gloves were torn and had burnt patches- there was no point wearing them really, but it hadn't occurred to him to get rid of them. He was too confused, and couldn't think straight.  
  
Before taking off the other glove, he removed the metallic band from his right wrist; the bracelet was bleached white, as were his trainers and his entire body.  
  
Spectre gazed dully at the metal ring for a few moments, wondering where he had got it.  
  
Suddenly, the hedgehog noticed a figure slip into the chair opposite.  
  
A black cat with friendly green eyes gazed over the table, and a shorter woman with unkempt white hair stood nearby.  
  
"Looks like you could use a coffee," smiled the cat.  
  
The stranger looked at Ebony through bewildered grey eyes, and didn't answer.  
  
This is a weird one all right, thought the cat, looking pityingly at the drenched hedgehog with the damaged ears and quills. She decided to try a different angle.  
  
"I'm Ebony, and that's Pyjamas. Who are you?"  
  
The hedgehog looked down.  
  
"I… can't remember," he said softly. He had an unusual voice, one which could have sounded sinister if it wasn't so confused. "But people call me Spectre."  
  
"Whoa!" Ebony exclaimed. "You're Spectre? The one who's been blowing things up?"  
  
He nodded ruefully.  
  
"Told you so," muttered Pyjamas.  
  
"I don't want to hurt anyone…" Spectre said, "I just can't help it." Ebony nodded understandably, having seen this kind of thing before.  
  
"And you say you've lost your memory…" the cat gave a strange little smile. "This place seems to attract confused hedgehogs. Especially when they have a tendency to destroy things."  
  
Ebony cast a knowing glance at Pyjamas, who grinned back. The Mobian with the perm took her turn to speak.  
  
"What's the last thing you remember? Can you tell us how you got here?"  
  
Spectre took a moment to rearrange his muddled thoughts. Then, frowning with concentration, he started to explain.  
  
* * * *  
  
3- Realm of Chaos  
  
He didn't know where he was, but he knew that he wasn't supposed to be there. It was darkness and chaos. Limbo. For a long time- he didn't know how long- he had been trying to escape, to get somewhere. But at some point along the way he had lost himself, and could no longer remember where he was trying to go, or even who he was. The only thing he could recall before the nothingness was an instant of burning pain and a devastating weariness.  
  
But he didn't feel tired anymore. Maybe he finally had enough power to escape… even if something had happened to him. He had been changed somehow, and sensed that something was not right.  
  
Still… there was something beyond this realm of chaos. A shadow of the real world, just within his senses…  
  
He gathered his energy and just managed to yank himself free from the nothingness. There was a sensation of falling, then he hit something solid and darkness engulfed him again…  
  
…When he regained consciousness, the white hedgehog found himself curled into a tight ball on the ground. After spending a few futile moments trying to get his bearings he uncurled, and carefully got to his feet. When he looked down at himself, he saw himself to be bedraggled and battle worn- yet he felt no pain.  
  
The hedgehog tried to figure out what to do next. But his mind was blank, and he just couldn't seem to get his head together.  
  
By now, his shock and confusion had lessened enough for him to become aware of his surroundings- and he saw that it was night and he was somewhere in the countryside. There was a smell in the air, one he couldn't quite place at first. The answer eventually swam up from the depths of his mind: smoke.  
  
He turned around. The source of the smell was a small farmhouse some distance away.  
  
It was engulfed in flames. Green flames…  
  
The hedgehog hissed, his brain somehow making a connection between the colour green and the word 'chaos'. By the same token, Chaos was also connected to himself…  
  
Had he done this?  
  
He began to limp uncertainly towards the building, not knowing what to do. There were two humans standing outside: a male and a female, staring unbelievingly up at the blaze. The man shouted accusingly at the approaching figure. The woman pulled at his arm, then whispered something urgently which prompted them both to run away.  
  
The white hedgehog frowned slightly, but a sudden scream from above drew his attention. There was a girl leaning out of the upstairs window, yelling for help. She looked about twelve years old; his eyes picked out her blonde hair and wide blue eyes.  
  
He knew her… at least, she reminded him of someone. Someone he had cared about, back in the misty past.  
  
The hedgehog knew suddenly that he had to save her. His thoughts became clearer, and he almost felt like himself again.  
  
Breaking into a run, he made for the house- and as he picked up speed, the limp disappeared. His stride lengthened until he was gliding effortlessly along the ground, more skating than running. He leapt, catching the upstairs windowsill with his fingertips, and pulled himself up easily.  
  
The room was already filling with flame. The girl was wearing pyjamas, and had pulled a grey blanket around herself to avoid the fire- but it was already becoming singed.  
  
Without a word, the hedgehog had grabbed her and leaped back out the window. Landing on his feet, he eased the girl to the ground.  
  
"Th…thanks, mister… you saved me," she stammered, eyes fixed on her home as it was engulfed in flame. Then she looked at the white hedgehog, noticing his injuries for the first time.  
  
"Say, you don't look so good. Here…" She took the grey blanket and wrapped it around his shoulders, like a cape.  
  
"Thank you," he murmured, as the traces of his former identity disappeared into the haze.  
  
Then he took off into the night, and was gone.  
  
* * * *  
  
4- Mind Link  
  
"That's some story," Ebony said thoughtfully, after listening to Spectre's long and often muddled explanation. "You've been wandering around ever since?"  
  
The hedgehog nodded, as he put his gloves and armband back on.  
  
"I never know how long I'm going to be somewhere… before…"  
  
Pyjamas nodded sympathetically- her visions often came unexpectedly, so she knew what it was like not to have much control. But at least she didn't run the risk of killing someone each time it happened. The telepath knew she had to act quickly- there was no telling when Spectre's strange ability would surface again.  
  
"I might be able to restore your memory if I perform a mind link," she suggested. Spectre looked up hopefully; he would do anything to discover who he really was. Perhaps even to regain some control.  
  
But suddenly there was a commotion at the door, and in rushed a blue hedgehog, followed by a canary with immaculate green feathers.  
  
"That's gotta be him," Sonic exclaimed as he spied the white hedgehog. He and Tekno had tracked Spectre's energy signal to the Groovy Train Coffee Shop, and now that he was close enough Sonic could feel the waves of Chaos energy flowing from him. The energy was strange, unstable… wrong somehow, and it made the blue hedgehog feel faintly nauseous.  
  
Tekno acted quickly, pushing a button on an odd looking device in her hands. The white hedgehog was instantly enveloped in a force field bubble and leaped to his feet with a shocked expression.  
  
Sonic breathed a sigh of relief as the odd energy was blocked off.  
  
"He's going nowhere," the canary pronounced. "Nothing chaotic can get through that electromagnetic shield."  
  
"You mean, he can't use Chaos Control?" Sonic asked suspiciously, annoyed at the science talk, or geek speak as he liked to call it.  
  
"Right," Tekno confirmed smugly.  
  
"Chaos Control?" Spectre quietly murmured, more bewildered than ever. The words were familiar. And didn't he know that other hedgehog from somewhere? His eyes focused on the ring that the blue one wore on his left wrist. Then he looked down at the one on his own right arm, so similar except for the washed-out colours.  
  
"Ebony, Pyjamas-" Sonic was saying. "What're you doing with this guy? He's dangerous."  
  
"It's not his fault," Ebony replied firmly. "He can't control himself."  
  
"And on top of that, he can't remember who he is," added Pyjamas. "I was going to try to help, by using a mind link."  
  
Sonic sighed, and took his first good look at Spectre. His first thought was: How could such a worn-out-looking creature cause so much damage? Then Sonic's bright green eyes met Spectre's dull grey ones.  
  
"Do you… know me…?" the white hedgehog said, quietly as ever.  
  
Sonic gasped slightly and took a step forward, studying every detail of his face; his appearance had changed, almost beyond recognition… but that voice…  
  
"Pyjamas, I think you'd better do that mind link," Sonic muttered dazedly.  
  
Pyjamas looked at Tekno.  
  
"Don't worry, the field only affects things that contain Chaos energy," the green bird assured her. "It's perfectly safe for you."  
  
Cautiously stepping through the field, the psychic nodded to Tekno before regarding the white hedgehog.  
  
"You're sure you want me to do this?" She asked. Spectre nodded.  
  
"What do I do?"  
  
"Nothing, just relax," Pyjamas replied, calmly placing her hands on his forehead.  
  
Everything seemed to go out of focus as Spectre felt things being rearranged in his mind. Only noticing what was going on in his head, he was barely aware of slowly sinking to his knees…  
  
For Pyjamas, it was like trying to forge through a storm. The hedgehog's mind was clouded with Chaos, and now and again she was aware of a fragment of memory: here the cold of space, there an old grief…  
  
Then she reached the eye of the hurricane, and everything seemed to slot into place.  
  
The hedgehog blinked, taking in the surroundings. The worst of his confusion was gone… at last, he knew who he was.  
  
He cautiously got to his feet. He stood differently now, tense as if for an attack, carrying himself in a proud and almost arrogant way. The body that had seemed thin and rather frail a moment before now revealed itself as the slim but deceptively powerful frame of an athlete.  
  
Regarding Pyjamas with an intense gaze, the hedgehog thanked her as she left the force bubble. Then the grey eyes turned towards Sonic.  
  
"We meet again, blue hedgehog."  
  
"I see you got your memory back," Sonic grinned, seeing the change in his attitude. The white hedgehog nodded briefly, then looked down at himself.  
  
"Yes, but something has happened to me," he began, regarding the bleached fur. "This isn't right…"  
  
"You can say that again," Sonic replied. "No offence, but that colour just doesn't suit you."  
  
"That's not what I meant." He frowned, thinking about how strange he felt. Something was wrong with him: his energy was just too unstable, resulting in random outbursts of Chaos.  
  
This was demonstrated as a blinding green flash erupted, thankfully contained in the force field. Unable to warp out of the bubble, the hedgehog was knocked off his feet.  
  
"Whoa, you okay?" Sonic exclaimed. Pyjamas winced, glad she hadn't still been in there.  
  
"So that's what he meant," Ebony said, watching as he slowly stood up.  
  
"…What's…wrong with me?" he gasped. Tekno examined the device in her hands. The readings were strange, it was as if the hedgehog wasn't quite in phase with everything else. Also, the Chaos energy in him had been altered somehow- it was volatile and uncontrollable, resulting in his cellular structure being highly unstable.  
  
The green canary explained all this in terms Sonic could understand. She finished by asking:  
  
"Is this guy a friend of yours, Sonic?"  
  
"You could say that," the blue hedgehog started. "You see, this is…"  
  
"Sonic, don't." the white hedgehog looked at him desperately. "I… I'm not myself." Sonic abruptly shut his mouth. If something like this had happened to him, he wouldn't like people to know about it. What the guy behind the force field was going through was the equivalent of Sonic not being able to run. In short, it was humiliating, and pride was something Sonic understood.  
  
"Guess I'll just have to call you Spectre," Sonic nodded. "Well, guy, we'd better go back to base- and figure out how to get you back to normal."  
  
Spectre sighed in relief, and hoped they could think of something.  
  
* * * *  
  
5- The Return  
  
Some time later…  
  
Slowly, the hedgehog opened his eyes, and found himself staring at a white ceiling. His quills pressed uncomfortably into the bed, and he frowned- wondering for a moment where he was and how he had got there. Then the memory surfaced as he came fully awake.  
  
The Emerald Hill Zone, that was it. He was in one of the rooms in the Freedom Fighters' control tower.  
  
Sonic had taken him back to base, where Tekno and the scientist Porker Lewis had started working on a plan. There had to be some way to reverse what had happened to him and get his energy under control… unfortunately, the only thing they could think of was to temporarily purge his body of Chaos energy, and hope he would recharge by himself.  
  
The problem was, that corrupted energy was the only thing keeping him alive- even though it also prevented his injuries from healing. If it was removed, those injuries might kill him… he would only have a fifty-fifty chance of surviving.  
  
The others had advised Spectre not to go through with it. But it had been his choice in the end.  
  
He would rather die than live on as a ghost of his former self.  
  
But he was still here, having cheated death once again. The hedgehog would have smiled if his personality allowed it.  
  
The question now was: had the process worked? It had been excruciatingly painful. He had blacked out, and sensed that he had been unconscious for a long time.  
  
Had it been worth it?  
  
He considered his energy level: still on the low side perhaps, but it seemed stable. As for his physical condition…  
  
Propping himself up on one elbow, the hedgehog ran a hand over one ear. He found sign of the nicks and rips that had been there before, so moved his hand slightly to explore one of the quills on his right; the one that had been partly missing. Now, however, it did not end in a ragged stump- instead making a powerful curve upwards and outwards until it ended in a sharp point.  
  
Given enough energy, the hedgehog had the ability to regenerate and heal practically any wound… but he must have been out cold for a very long time if that spike had had time to grow back.  
  
Then he moved his arm in front of his face. He examined the dark fur and the brightly- coloured streak which ran through it… and this time, he did smile.  
  
He cautiously slipped out of the bed, moving a little shakily at first. Fortunately he was alone in the room- someone, probably Sonic, had had the sense to know that he hated to be seen in a weakened condition. The same someone had also put his trainers and wristband on the bedside table, along with new gloves. He noticed that everything had either been replaced or somehow restored to its' original colour. There was also a mirror, which he looked at once he had finished dressing.  
  
For the first time in weeks, he could properly recognise who he saw as himself.  
  
His quills had returned to their original shape, but the most dramatic difference was his colour. The only white that remained was a patch of long fur on his chest- but that was supposed to be there. The ears and lower part of the face were a tan colour; and apart from the bold crimson streaks along his quills and limbs, the rest was a deep and flawless black. The eyes were no longer clouded grey, but a bright, fierce blood- red.  
  
He put down the mirror. Now for the final test…  
  
Fixing his thoughts on a point just outside the control tower, he gathered his energy-  
  
-and disappeared in a small green flash, re-appearing at the exact point that he had visualised.  
  
"I'm back," he said quietly, almost triumphantly, to himself. Most people would have shouted or jumped for joy- not so with this hedgehog, whose emotions were tightly under control. He simply nodded once and allowed his eyes to sweep over the landscape, until his gaze fell on a rock not far away.  
  
Suddenly the rock wasn't there anymore, because it had been obliterated by the yellow lightning of his Chaos Spear attack.  
  
Then:  
  
"Trying to sneak up on me, Sonic?" The black hedgehog turned to look at the blue one who had emerged from the building. "You should know better."  
  
"How'd you know I was there?" Sonic grinned. Then, knowing better than to expect an answer, he went on to another subject. "It's about time you recovered."  
  
"How long was I unconscious?"  
  
"Would you believe a month?"  
  
The black hedgehog considered this.  
  
"Oh." He said, matter-of-factly.  
  
"'Oh?'" Sonic repeated, raising an eyebrow. "He sleeps for a month, then he says 'oh'."  
  
"I've already spent fifty years in stasis. What does another month matter?"  
  
"Good point," Sonic shrugged. "It was weird- like you'd gone into hibernation or something, to let yourself heal…" he paused, confused. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot." Unfastening the ring from his left wrist, Sonic handed it to the other hedgehog. "I think this is yours."  
  
He took it, and put it on. The last piece of the puzzle.  
  
"So what really happened after that battle?" Sonic asked, after a silence. "We thought you died in space."  
  
There was a pause as the dark hedgehog reviewed his memories.  
  
"I nearly did. I thought I was ready to die, but…" he shook his head. "At the last moment I realised that Maria had asked me to save the world… but she also wanted me to protect it. And I would have to survive to do that." He frowned then, as if his memory was hazy. "But I didn't have enough power left to use Chaos Control. I tried, but…"  
  
"You didn't reappear," Sonic finished, nodding. "You got trapped somewhere, between dimensions. And when you escaped, it had changed you…"  
  
The reply was a simple yes.  
  
"Well, I'm glad you changed your mind- but you cut it real close." Sonic glanced at the now- restored quills on the other hedgehog's head- judging by that damage, he had been on the verge of burning up in the atmosphere.  
  
"What're you gonna do with yourself now?" Sonic asked.  
  
"What I was created for, and what I promised to do."  
  
The blue hedgehog grinned.  
  
"Well, if you wanna save the world, you're in the right place!" he said, eyes taking on a sly gleam. "I'd be glad to have you on the team. Even if you're no where near as fast as me."  
  
"What do you mean by that?!"  
  
Sonic just grinned even wider.  
  
"What I said."  
  
"Huh, I could run circles around you," the black hedgehog snapped, before he could stop himself.  
  
"Care to prove it, Mr. Ultimate Life Form Big-shot?"  
  
The red eyes narrowed.  
  
"You're on," He replied, a dangerous smirk playing over his face.  
  
Sonic laughed and sped off through the palm trees of Emerald Hill, with a black and red bullet at his side.  
  
Planet Mobius had a new Freedom Fighter… and his name was Shadow!  
  
* * *The end!* * *  
  
Well, that's it! Hope you liked the fic…Being a Shadow fan (he's much cooler than Sonic), I wanted to do the story of how he survived- but hey, hasn't everyone? So I thought I'd do it a little bit differently.  
  
RockChick: 'So what did you think of the fanfic?'  
  
Shadow: 'Good points… number one, I'm alive. Number two, that enhanced healing thing.'  
  
RockChick: 'Don't get used to it, that was just for this fic…'  
  
Shadow: 'Dammit!!'  
  
RockChick: 'What about the bad points?'  
  
Shadow: 'I hate white. And what's with that Bon Jovi stuff? You're obsessed. That song doesn't suit me AT ALL! 'Blaze of Glory', yeah. 'Dead or Alive,' maybe. 'Keep the Faith'… well, OK. But 'Saturday Night' ??!'  
  
RockChick: 'It's just those four lines, not the whole song. And I'm not obsessed… it's just that I know the lyrics to a lot of Bon stuff…  
  
So… what'd you think of it overall?  
  
Shadow: 'Hmm, not bad…'  
  
RockChick: 'I drag your little black bod out of the grave, and all I get is ' hmm, not bad'?!'  
  
Shadow: 'You didn't have to torture me though, did you? Was that necessary?'  
  
RockChick: 'Actually, it was… see, it's in my contract as a fanfic writer!'  
  
Shadow: 'And it's in my contract as a dark, sinister and moody guy not to give anyone more than a grudging 'not bad'. I'm the Ultimate Life Form, that means I get to talk down to everyone.'  
  
RockChick: 'Well you better not do it to me, pal- I've got a tombstone with your name on it.'  
  
Shadow: 'Oh shut up, you pathetic creature.'  
  
RockChick: 'Don't say I didn't warn you… My hands are on the keyboard… 'Death of Shadow part 2, This Time it's Personal'….'  
  
Shadow: 'I have two words to say to that.'  
  
RockChick: 'Eh?'  
  
Shadow: 'Chaos Control!' *blip*  
  
RockChick: 'Hey! Come back here, I haven't finished with you yet!!'  
  
* * * * 


End file.
